Abortion

News about Abortion, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2015

Conservative Republicans are threatening to shut down government amid pledge to reject any spending bill that does not cut off funds for Planned Parenthood; point to videos alleging group sells fetal tissue for medical research; is latest example of ardent conservatives threatening shut down unless their policies are advanced. MORE

Jul. 30, 2015

Op-Ed article by microbiologist Nathalia Holt examines fetal-cell research in light of controversy surrounding videotaped remarks by Dr Deborah Nucatola of Planned Parenthood; argues that while use of discarded fetal tissue for research is emotionally unsettling, it has also provided invaluable insights that have saved countless lives. MORE

Jul. 28, 2015

Accusations from anti-abortion group that Planned Parenthood sells fetal tissue for profit are bringing attention to long-standing practice of buying and selling of fetal tissue acquired from abortion clinics for research purposes; National Institutes of Health spent $76 million on research using fetal tissue in 2014, with grants to more than 50 universities; researchers say fetal tissue is uniquely rich source of stem cells. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Republican presidential candidates and other conservative politicians are undertaking sustained, sophisticated and coordinated effort to force debate on abortion; are abandoning rhetoric that many perceived as a 'war on women,' instead emphasizing emotionally resonant ideas like joy of pregnancy and first ultrasound; strategy has so far targeted Planned Parenthood, women's health organization that receives significant funding from federal government. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Anti-abortion activist David Daleiden releases second video purporting to show Planned Parenthood official discussing price of fetal parts sold to medical researchers, and promises there are more videos to come; videos arrive as Republican-controlled Congress is assembling spending bills aimed at eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood; also come as 2016 Republican presidential field is taking shape and hopefuls are seizing upon issue to appeal to anti-abortion voters. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Editorial criticizes politicians trying to defund Planned Parenthood by using misleading videos released by organization Center for Medical Progress to promote their own anti-abortion agenda; notes that videos in question, when viewed in full, do not corroborate accusations that Planned Parenthood profits off fetal tissue. MORE

Jul. 21, 2015

Planned Parenthood accuses abortion opponents of unlawfully infiltrating its clinics and taking footage that they then edit to fit their anti-abortion agenda; Republican lawmakers are investigating the organization after anti-abortion activists circulated video showing Planned Parenthood doctor describing how some affiliates provide donated fetal tissues to researchers. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards apologizes for Dr Deborah Nucatola's lack of compassion when describing how affiliates provide tissue from aborted fetuses to researchers; abortion opponents posted year-old video of Nucatol's description online, inciting political storm that prompted Republicans in Congress and several states to order investigations. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

House Republican leaders say they will open congressional investigation into allegations that Planned Parenthood is illegally selling fetal tissue from abortion procedures; investigation follows release of video from anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress depicting Planned Parenthood official explaining how organization provides tissue to researchers. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

Wisconsin State Assembly passes bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy except in medical emergencies; Gov Scott Walker is expected to sign it into law. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

Colorado has experienced surprising success with six-year experimental effort to curb teenage births, in which teens and poor women were offered free intrauterine devices and implants that prevent pregnancy for years; state's teenage birthrate fell 40 percent from 2009 to 2013, while rate of teen abortions dropped 42 percent. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Florida Judge Charles Francis blocks law requiring women to wait for 24 hours before getting abortion, which he says state officials have failed to show is not burden on privacy rights. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

The Upshot; Supreme Court decision affirming right of same-sex couples to marry is example of trend in American history in which civil rights have expanded and discrimination has declined over time; other issues like gun control and abortion have experienced shifts in public opinion that resist easy predictions of their eventual outcomes. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Supreme Court votes, 5 to 4, to allow 10 abortion clinics in Texas to remain open while justices consider whether to hear appeal from decision effectively ordering them to close; is second time Supreme Court has given clinics a reprieve, allowing more than a dozen of them to reopen in fall of 2015. MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

Kansas Judge Larry D Hendricks issues bench ruling temporarily blocking new law that would ban second trimester abortions in state; legal challenge argues that law interferes with right to abortion and could force some women to undergo invasive alternative procedures. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

Ohio Senate passes bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, following Wisconsin Senate's passage of similar ban; bill will proceed to House, which like Senate is dominated by Republicans. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Editorial warns that Republican legislative majority has once again targeted reproductive rights for poor women, taking aim at Title X family-planning program that gives millions of such women access to contraception, counseling, lifesaving cancer screenings, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; observes that it is darkly ironic that conservative ideologues want to eliminate programs that reduce number of unwanted pregnancies. MORE

Jun. 20, 2015

Iowa Supreme Court strikes down 2013 Iowa Board of Medicine rule requiring doctors to perform physical examination on patients before prescribing abortion-inducing drugs and to be present when drugs are taken; says doctors may continue to provide such services to people in rural areas via videoconference, as they have since 2008. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Jun. 14, 2015

Op-Ed article by Mairav Zonszein describes experience of appearing before committee in Israel that determined whether she was allowed to have abortion, requirement under Israeli law; criticizes system as archaic and opposite of liberal. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Appeals court decision upholding restrictions on abortions in Texas is prompting abortion rights advocates to demand that Supreme Court issue clarification on when abortion laws place 'undue burden' on woman's right to procedure. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Florida Gov Rick Scott signs measure requiring women seeking abortions to make two visits to clinic with mandatory 24-hour waiting period in between. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Dougherty County, Ga, district attorney Greg Edwards drops murder charge against Kenlissia Jones, who is accused of ending her pregnancy with abortion pill obtained without prescription; Edwards is pursuing drug possession count against Jones. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Editorial decries federal appeals court decision upholding 2013 Texas law that limits abortion access for hundreds of thousands of women; reserves particular scorn for Texas Atty Gen Ken Paxton and others who cynically defend such measures in the name of women's health; cites evidence that abortions are among safest of medical procedures. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column examines string of disheartening setbacks for woman's right to choose, including federal appeals court decision upholding Texas law that has decimated abortion clinics; observes such laws target poor women who cannot afford to travel for an abortion; cites tragedies that have occurred across country when women take matter into their own hands. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Panel of United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, New Orleans, upholds some of most stringent provisions of Texas abortion law, placing half of state's remaining abortion clinics at risk of permanently closing; less than dozen clinics would remain open in state; lawmakers say provisions are meant to improve safety; abortion providers and women's rights groups vow appeal to Supreme Court. MORE

Jun. 5, 2015

Coalition of religious and human rights leaders demand that Pres Obama support abortion financing for women raped in overseas conflicts involving terrorist groups like the Islamic State and Boko Haram; group, who have rolled out stark advertising campaign on issue, say Obama has spoken compassionately on issue while doing little. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

North Carolina lawmakers pass bill requiring women to wait 72 hours before having abortion; Gov Pat McCrory is expected to sign bill despite 2012 campaign pledge not to sign any further restrictions on abortions. MORE

May. 30, 2015

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit strikes down Idaho law prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks, ruling that ban is unconstitutional; also rejects state's requirement that second-trimester abortions be performed in hospital. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column lambasts Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker for making insensitive comment conflating 'cool' ultrasounds with requirement in some states that images of fetus be shown to women seeking abortions; criticizes Walker for refusing to see any drawbacks to ultrasound requirement; holds Walker's tasteless comments show he is unprepared for scrutiny given to presidents. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Federal appeals court strikes down Arkansas law banning abortions after 12th week of pregnancy if doctor can detect fetal heartbeat; ruling supports doctors' arguments that abortion restrictions be based on viability of fetus outside womb and not presence of heartbeat. MORE

May. 27, 2015

West Virginia ban on abortions 20 weeks after conception goes into effect after Republican-controlled Legislature overrides Gov Earl Ray Tomblin's two vetoes of the ban. MORE

May. 15, 2015

Editorial criticizes House for passing bill that would ban most abortions of fetuses more than 20 weeks old, which is violation of Supreme Court Roe v Wade ruling; warns that bill, when combined with other measures meant to make it harder to get abortion early in pregnancy, effectively prohibit abortion for those with fewer means. MORE

May. 14, 2015

House votes, 242-to-184, to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, approving revised version of earlier Republican-introduced bill; bill is not expected to pass Senate, making vote largely symbolic gesture. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Raft of new laws passed by number of Republican-led State Legislatures are making it harder for women around United States to obtain legal abortions, with 37 new rules in 11 states chipping away at availability of procedure; many doctors dispute assertions that legislation improves women's health, while pro-choice advocates say restrictions will result in more illegal abortions. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Oklahoma Gov Mary Fallin signs measure making state fourth in which women will be required to wait at least 72 hours before receiving an abortion. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Comprehensive study published in New England Journal of Medicine finds that small minority of acutely premature babies born before 22 weeks, which had been considered point of viability, can survive outside the womb; discovery alters calculus for how aggressively very premature babies should be treated and is certain to have profound impact on abortion debate. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Tennessee lawmakers overwhelmingly approve legislation requiring abortion clinics that perform over 50 procedures a year to be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers; bill will be sent to Gov Bill Haslam. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Oklahoma Gov Mary Fallin signs legislation making it second state to ban common second-trimester abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Deborah Tuerkheimer opposes Colorado bill that would criminalize fetal homicide, observing that nearly 40 states already have such laws; argues laws are not meant to protect pregnant women, but rather to further cause of limiting abortion rights; warns granting personhood to fetuses makes women criminal responsible for their well-being, leading to host of potential legal abuses. MORE

Apr. 10, 2015

Editorial deplores decision by Kansas to ban abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation, common and safe process for ending second-trimester pregnancy; criticizes ban as part of overarching effort to restrict women's reproductive freedom and to impose lawmakers' moral beliefs on decisions best left to doctor and patient. MORE

Apr. 9, 2015

Apr. 8, 2015

Kansas Gov Sam Brownback signs bill into law that seeks to sharply restrict or alter most common technique used for second-trimester abortions; language in legislation does not use medical terminology, thus making its practical impact uncertain; similar bill is being considered in Oklahoma and several other states. MORE

Apr. 4, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column submits that America seems to be growing more rational about gay sex but less rational about heterosexual sex; cites Texas's support for increased abstinence-only educating funding, Arizona bill requiring doctors to tell patients that chemical abortions can be reversed and backlash against freedom of religion law in Indiana; holds women bear worst brunt of regressive sexual policies and abortion laws. MORE

Apr. 1, 2015

Arizona passes law requiring doctors performing drug-induced abortions to tell patient that process may be reversible, assertion that most doctors dispute; claim, based on findings of Dr George Delgado, may present abortion opponents with new tool for dismantling legal abortions. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

The Ethicists column panel answers questions about driving a friend out of state for an abortion, doctor trying to help veteran receive long-term VA benefits for sleep apnea and whether it would be wrong to keep mistakenly-issued refund from an online retailer because that retailer bought customer's employer and has now frozen employee pensions. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Fate of bipartisan health care deal put together by Rep Nancy Pelosi and House Speaker John Boehner is uncertain, as Sen Harry Reid's objection to abortion provision may stall bill in Senate; Reid's dissent signals reversal of congressional dynamic, with Democrats waging ideological battle from disadvantaged position, tactic long used by Republicans. MORE

Mar. 21, 2015

Federal Judge William M Conley strikes down law in Wisconsin that requires doctors performing abortions to get hospital admitting privileges; rules women's health issues are substantially outweighed by harm done by restricting access to abortion. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column argues that Senate has reached new nadir of dysfunction, failing even to reach consensus on bill aiding victims of human trafficking; notes discord surrounds provision forbidding use of money to provide victims with access to abortions. MORE

Multimedia

In this 21-page ruling, Judge Lee Yeakel of the United States District Court in Austin, Tex., said the restrictions, which would have closed more than half the state’s abortion clinics, placed an unconstitutional burden on a woman’s right to an abortion.